On an isolated Texas ranch, Dr. Lucy cares for abandoned animals. The solitude allows her to avoid the people and places that remind her of the past. Not that any of the townsfolk care. In 1959, no one is interested in a woman doctor. Nor are they welcoming Calvin and Justin Bell, a newly arrived African American father and son.

When Pete Solomon, a neglected twelve-year-old boy, and Justin bring a wounded wolf-dog hybrid to Dr. Lucy, the outcasts soon find refuge in one another. Lucy never thought she’d make connections again, never mind fall in love with a man like Calvin. Pete never imagined he’d find friends as loyal as Justin and the dog. But these four people aren’t allowed to be friends, much less a family, when the whole town turns violently against them.

With heavy hearts, Dr. Lucy and Pete say goodbye to Calvin and Justin. But through the years they keep hope alive…waiting for the world to catch up with them.

I enjoyed this book. I really thought that this was going to be a book about a dog based on the cover. I obviously did not read the book's summary prior to starting this audiobook. There is a dog in the book but that dog is really not the main focus of the story. This was a story about race, love, and what really makes up a family. I am so glad that I stumbled upon this wonderful story.

This book is told from two points of view. Dr. Lucy takes care of animals and the occasional human that comes to her for help. She lives a rather isolated life on her ranch and likes it that way. Pete is a 12 year old boy that happens upon a wounded dog laying on the side of the road and feels compelled to help. Pete finds help for the dog in Dr. Lucy and so much more.

The characters in this book were wonderful and they all had their own complex story to tell. Dr. Lucy has been through a lot. The book is set in a time where people do not want to take a female doctor seriously so Lucy uses her skills to help animals. Pete has had a lot to deal with in his short life. Despite the way he is treated, he is still such a good kid and works hard to do what he feels is right. Justin and his father, Calvin, are new in town. The town has not been welcoming to them and has treated them poorly because of the fact that they are African American.

I loved the way that the relationships between these characters developed. If the rest of the world would simply go away, these four people would be very happy. Pete and Justin have so much in common and I loved watching their friendship progress. Lucy goes from being alone most of the time to have a real connection to Pete, Justin, and Calvin. Everything about their interactions seemed natural and it made me very angry that the local citizens did everything they could to not allow any of the connections to exist.

The narrators both did a great job with this story. I really do enjoy it when audiobooks utilize multiple narrators. Nick Podehl did a great job with Pete's point of view which was no small task since the character is a 12 year old boy. Teri Schnaubelt voices the parts that were told from Dr. Lucy's point of view. Both narrators were able to bring a lot of emotion into the story telling and were very pleasant to listen to for long periods of time. I would not hesitate to listen to either of these narrators again in the future.

I would recommend this book to others. This was a very well told story that really care about the characters. This was the first book by Catherine Ryan Hyde that I have read but I wouldn't hesitate to read more of her work in the future.

About the Author

Catherine Ryan Hyde is the author of thirty-three published books. Her bestselling 1999 novel, Pay It Forward, adapted into a major Warner Bros. motion picture, made the American Library Association's Best Books for Young Adults list and was translated into more than two dozen languages for distribution in more than thirty countries. Her novels Becoming Chloe and Jumpstart the World were included on the ALA's Rainbow List; Jumpstart the World was also a finalist for two Lambda Literary Awards and won Rainbow Awards in two categories. The Language of Hoofbeats won a Rainbow Award. More than fifty of her short stories have been published in many journals, including the Antioch Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, the Virginia Quarterly Review, Ploughshares, Glimmer Train, and the Sun, and in the anthologies Santa Barbara Stories and California Shorts, as well as the bestselling anthology Dog Is My Co-Pilot. Her short fiction received honorable mention in the Raymond Carver Short Story Contest, a second-place win for the Tobias Wolff Award, and nominations for Best American Short Stories, the O. Henry Award, and the Pushcart Prize. Three have also been cited in Best American Short Stories.

Hyde is the founder and former president of the Pay It Forward Foundation. As a professional public speaker, she has addressed the National Conference on Education, twice spoken at Cornell University, met with AmeriCorps members at the White House, and shared a dais with Bill Clinton. An avid equestrian, photographer, and traveler, she lives in California.

From the moment Josie laid eyes on sexy, mysterious Shane Dean, she was in love. Their desire ignited a passionate affair, and within weeks, Shane had slipped a ring on her finger. It seemed her every fantasy was coming true . . . until her new husband disappeared without a trace. Now, two years and one broken heart later, Josie is shocked by the hospital calls: Shane has been found . . . at a crime scene with no memory of how he got there.

Her Love Can Save Him

Shane can't remember the blue-eyed angel at his bedside—or who he even is—but he knows something isn't right. His hearing is razor sharp, his physical strength incredible, and the urge to protect Josie overwhelming. For powerful enemies are hunting him, and Josie is the key to disc…

Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread. If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks. If you would like to join in, please feel free to enter your link and link back to this post, then spend some time visiting some of the other posts.

The Prisoner's Wife by Maggie Brookes
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group - Berkley
Publication Date: May 26, 2020
Date Read: May 25, 2020
Length: 400 pages
Source: Publisher ★★★★☆Inspired by the true story of a daring deception that plunges a courageous young woman deep into the horrors of a Nazi PoW camp to be with the man she loves.

In the dead of night, a Czech farm girl and a British soldier travel through the countryside. Izabela and prisoner-of-war Bill have secretly married, and are on the run, with Izzy dressed as a man. The young husband and wife evade capture for as long as possible, until they are cornered by Nazi soldiers with tracker dogs.

Izzy’s disguise works. The couple are assumed to be two escaped British soldiers and transported to a PoW camp. However, their true test has just begun as they face terrible living conditions and the constant terror of Izzy’s exposure. But in the midst of unimaginable horrors comes hope, for the young couple are befriended by a s…